Do I really need a reason to post this?

I think not.

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Supreme Court will not stop D.C. marriage law from taking effect

Just saw this as Breaking News on Twitter:

Supreme Court refuses to stop D.C.'s gay marriage law

Yes, it's another loss for the anti-gay forces in D.C. And, it was their "Hail Mary" pass. The United States Supreme Court said no to them and won't intervene:

The Supreme Court has refused to stop the District of Columbia's gay marriage law.

The court on Tuesday turned down requests from gay marriage opponents to stop the law, which will take effect on Wednesday.

Opponents of the law had argued to Chief Justice John Roberts that D.C. voters should have been allowed to vote on the issue. Local courts have rejected the opponents' arguments.

Equality begins in D.C. tomorrow. There is one more anti-gay appeal pending before the D.C. Court of Appeals, which could lead back to the Supreme Court.

Congratulations to all the activists who made this happen. And, a shout out to Michael Crawford who laid out the path for marriage equality for us last September. Over the past few days, he's reminded me of the excellent support this effort got from the D.C. Clergy for Marriage Equality and HRC's Soltan Shakir, among many others.

For the legal geeks, I'm posting the decision by Chief Justice Roberts. It may be the only time we ever celebrate something he writes about LGBT equality:
Justice Roberts' ruling in DC marriage case Read More...

Tomorrow is another big day on Capitol Hill for DADT repeal

Big day for DADT repeal tomorrow.

At 11:45 a.m., Senator Joe Lieberman is doing a press event to announce the introduction of his bill to repeal DADT. Lieberman is on the Senate Armed Services Committee and can play a key role in shepherding the legislation through the Senate. The easiest way would be to include the repeal language in the bill proposed by the Chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee (the Chairman's "mark.) That way, opponents would need to remove the language in Committee or on the floor. A floor amendment could be filibustered, meaning the other side would need 60 votes to remove it.

Also, tomorrow afternoon, a key subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee will be holding a DADT hearing. From the Committee's website:

The Military Personnel Subcommittee will meet to receive testimony on a review of the Department of Defense process for assessing the requirements to implement repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Witnesses:

Dr. Clifford L. Stanley

Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness


Honorable Jeh C. Johnson

General Counsel of the Department of Defense

Co-Chair Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Working Group


General Carter F. Ham, USA

Commanding General, U.S. Army Europe

Co-Chair Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Working Group

That should be very informative.

DC Agenda's Chris Johnson did an interview with Rep. Patrick Murphy, the House sponsor of DADT repeal, today. Murphy thinks repeal can pass this year, but it sounds like he's been rounding rounding up more House votes:

Last month, Murphy picked up another co-sponsor for repeal legislation in the House, Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), bringing the total number of co-sponsors for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act to 188. Murphy said he’s received commitments from about two dozen other House members that they’d vote in favor of the bill should it come to a floor vote, which would bring the votes close to the 218 needed for passage.

And, the Pennsylvania Congressman wants a full repeal, not a moratorium:

Levin has been floating the idea of a legislative moratorium on discharges, which he said lawmakers might more likely support because it doesn’t predetermine the outcome of the study currently underway at the Pentagon.

But Murphy called a moratorium “half-stepping” and said that full repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is still the way to go.

Also, I've gotten notices about two DADT repeal press conferences tomorrow on the House side. One is at noon and one is at 12:30 p.m. Not sure why there are two separate pressers on the same day. But, there are. Read More...

California's Assembly has a new (gay) Speaker

Via Karen Ocamb, here's the video of John A. Perez being sworn in as the Speaker of the California Assembly yesterday:

California's state government is a mess these days. Perez has his hands full.

Karen also post the videos of his inaugural speech as Speaker. Read More...

Incredibly moving love story about gay Vietnam war survivors

A very big hat tip to "JamesR" who sent me this incredibly poignant gay love story about a soldier, Tom Norton, and his partner Vietnam refugee, Bao Nguyen. They are both survivors of the Vietnam war.

A week after military leaders announced Feb. 2 that they'd review the "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays, the helicopter pilot who flew 1,861 medevac missions in Vietnam arrived at the Portland Vet Center. His counselor had urged the 15 Vietnam vets in his group to tell their life stories in order to see themselves as individuals beyond their combat tours.

Being gay had led Norton into the military. It led him to march on Washington, D.C., in April 1993 to end the ban on homosexuals in the military. Since then, more than 12,000 gays and lesbians have been discharged under the subsequent "don't ask, don't tell" compromise by Congress. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 66,000 gays and lesbians still serve in the military, including in the reserves and the National Guard.

For Norton, 59, separating his personal life from military life was second nature. But looking at the former soldiers and Marines in his veterans group that Wednesday afternoon, "I realized I could not go backwards. I could not go back." He took a deep breath.

The Oregonian did a wonderful job, but someone needs to do a screen play. I'd love to see an autobiographical movie. This story just has everything to be a great movie. Read More...

Anti-gay clergy support NY candidate convicted of domestic abuse because he's anti-gay now

When it comes to hating gays, religious types are pushing the limits. As noted below, in DC, the Catholic Church has decided to punish its own employees because of its vehement anti-gay positions.

In NYC, anti-gay religious leaders have decided to support convicted domestic violence abuser, Hiram Monserrate, because of his anti-gay positions. Monserrate voted against the marriage bill in December. Joe.My.God has the details.

The New York State Senate expelled Monserrate because of his conviction. But, he's running for that seat again. The special election to fill the vacancy created by Monserrate's expulsion is on March 16th. His opponent is Jose Peralta, who is pro-marriage equality. Apparently, beating up a woman is apparently much more acceptable and desirable than same-sex marriage for some of New York's clergy. So, they're supporting Monserrate.

So, hatred of the gays trumps just about everything for these religious types. Read More...

To fight same-sex marriage, DC's Catholic Diocese cuts benefits for its employees

In its quest to persecute gays in the District of Columbia, the Catholic Church has a new target: its own employees. Yes, the Church is really showing the world how much it hates the gays by cutting benefits for people who choose to work for the Church:

Starting Tuesday, Catholic Charities will not offer benefits to spouses of new employees or to spouses of current employees who are not already enrolled in the plan. A letter describing the change in health benefits was e-mailed to employees Monday, two days before same-sex marriage will become legal in the District.

"We looked at all the options and implications," said the charity's president, Edward J. Orzechowski. "This allows us to continue providing services, comply with the city's new requirements and remain faithful to the church's teaching."

So, from what I can tell, the only people who lose are the people who choose to work for Catholic Charities. And, that is a choice. The church is acting out of spite but only hurting those closest to it.

I grew up Catholic. If there's one thing I know about Catholics, they are very good at being martyrs. So, this just adds to the suffering. Read More...